Opinion
Column

Facing the farming facts

The comments condemning the farming industry and livestock producers in general.

It often comes up after a case like the one last week. An Ontario farmer pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges in the deaths of 1,500 pigs. The man’s lawyer outlined his client’s history of mental health issues and suicidal thoughts — a sad and disturbing case from the human and animal aspect.

But this led to another round of attacks on livestock producers on social media.

It’s further spurred by the fact this was one of several animal cruelty cases that have recently come to light.

It’s a black eye on the farming industry, and it’s not an accurate reflection of it as a whole. But it’s not as easy to convince animal lovers of that. Many believe this is the norm.

However, they fail to ask the most logical question — why would anyone want to mistreat their livelihood?

As a farm kid, it’s frustrating and disheartening to see these kinds of generalizations and falsities.

We all have our biases, and now more than ever it seems keyboard warriors empowered by social media’s ever-listening ear aren’t ashamed to show theirs and cut back on the research and consideration of both sides of an issue.

But in the same sense, it shouldn’t just be left up to producers to defend their occupation, which can also hold its own biases.

Here in Alberta, it’s highly likely most of us know someone in farming or ranching. And so those of us who are a little farther removed from the industry can speak up on their behalf.

We owe it to our producers who stock our grocery stores and our fridges to stick up for their hard work and perseverance.

An acquaintance once informed me he didn’t drink milk because farmers torture cows. I informed him that no, that’s not the case at all. I assured him the livestock on my family’s farm were treated very well. And I could say the same of neighbouring operations.

The small amount of extreme abuse cases had led him to paint all farming operations with the same brush.

Last year, a survey conducted by the Innovation Center of U.S. Dairy found seven per cent of American adults think chocolate milk comes from “brown cows.” It’s a long-standing joke, but yes, seriously. The study additionally concluded that nearly half of Americans have no idea where chocolate milk comes from.

Alberta Agriculture’s classroom programs are giving children and youth who wouldn’t typically be exposed to farm life the opportunity to see what it’s like, presenting them with more information so they can be better informed.

Whether you choose to embrace a vegan or dairy-free diet or not, it’s important to know the actual facts and become informed on what the people who live and breathe the farming and ranching lifestyle are really like.